South Sea cultured pearls are large and breathtakingly beautiful. They are known for their rarity and especially for their size, which can range from 8 to 18 mm – occasionally even larger – having a thick layer of nacre. They are also prized for their rare, attractive golden colours and variety of shapes, such as rounded, oval, button and baroque. Perfectly round or drop shapes are especially rare and therefore more sought after.
South Sea cultured pearls, which display colour variations ranging from white through cream, champagne through yellow and all shades of gold, descend mainly from two varieties of the Pinctada maxima oyster: the gold-lipped and grey-lipped. These pearls are cultured along the divide between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the best-known white pearls of this type being harvested along the coast of north-western Australia.
